The Black Friar Pub, London

The Black Friar, on Queen Victoria Street at Blackfriars, is the most extraordinary pub interior in London. Built in 1875 and remodelled in the Edwardian period, its interior is an Arts and Crafts masterpiece — marble, alabaster, bronze friezes of jolly monks, and gold mosaics on every surface.

The Almost-Demolition

In the 1960s, the Black Friar was scheduled for demolition as part of a road-widening scheme. It was saved by a campaign led by John Betjeman — the same poet who saved Albert Bridge — and was listed in 1972. Betjeman’s intervention preserved what is, by any measure, one of the most remarkable pub rooms in the world.

What to Order

The beer range is solid, including ales from the nearby British pub tradition. But come primarily to stand in the saloon bar and look at the ceiling — at the frieze of merry friars going about their daily business in bronze relief, and the motto carved above the fireplace: “Tomorrow will take care of itself.”